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Texas Raffle Laws & Non-Profit Organizations Status update: The governor has decided to not sign the bill at this time. There may be an opportunity for consideration during the October 2023 special session. Houston Safari Club has sent additional correspondence to the governor’s office in support of a change in the Texas raffle laws and requested that the topic be addressed during the October special session. Background: Non-profit organizations in Texas are currently not allowed to sell raffle tickets online. HSC has been involved in the effort to allow Texas-based non-profit organizations to market and sell raffle tickets online, for the past three Texas legislative sessions. A House bill was approved earlier this year. HSC provided testimony in favor of the bill before the Texas House Licensing & Administrative Procedures Committee in March. A Senate bill, mirroring the House bill language, is in process. If passed, these changes would allow

Texas Raffle Laws & Non-Profit Organizations Non-profit organizations in Texas are currently not allowed to sell raffle tickets online. HSC has been involved in the effort to allow Texas-based non-profit organizations to market and sell raffle tickets online, for the past three Texas legislative sessions. A House bill was approved earlier this year. HSC provided testimony in favor of the bill before the Texas House Licensing & Administrative Procedures Committee in March. A Senate bill, mirroring the House bill language, is in process. If passed, these changes would allow for fundraising related to raffles on a greater scale. Reach out to your local Representative and let them know you support HB 2138 and your Senator, in support of SB 1582. Status update: The governor has decided to not sign the bill at this time. There may be an opportunity for consideration during the summer 2023 special session. Lead Ammunition &

Texas Raffle Laws & Non-Profit Organizations Non-profit organizations in Texas are currently not allowed to sell raffle tickets online. HSC has been involved in the effort to allow Texas-based non-profit organizations to market and sell raffle tickets online, for the past three Texas legislative sessions. A House bill was approved earlier this year. HSC provided testimony in favor of the bill before the Texas House Licensing & Administrative Procedures Committee in March. A Senate bill, mirroring the House bill language, is in process. If passed, these changes would allow for fundraising related to raffles on a greater scale. Reach out to your local Representative and let them know you support HB 2138 and your Senator, in support of SB 1582. New York Big 5 Act The state of New York is once again attempting to ban the import of legally and ethically hunted game animals. The “Big Five African Trophies

(Houston, TX- April 25, 2023) Houston Safari Club Foundation (HSCF) has provided funding to Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) in support of a research program investigating the natural repopulation of black bears in West Texas TPWF is partnering with the Borderlands Research Institute (BRI) at Sul Ross State University on a research program investigating the natural repopulation of black bears in West Texas. This research project seeks to understand the region’s current black bear population and habitat needs, monitor their range expansion in West Texas, and foster that expansion through science-based management strategies. “We are grateful to Houston Safari Club Foundation (HSCF) for its decades-long partnership protecting the wild things and wild places of Texas. In addition to supporting training and equipment for Texas Game Wardens, Trans-Pecos pronghorn restoration, and mentored hunting experiences for the next generation of conservation stewards, we’re excited for HSCF’s most recent gift for research

Elephant Import Permit Rule Revision HSC, along with Conservation Force and Dallas Safari Club, requested that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provide a 60-day extension of a comment period for its proposed revisions to its elephant regulation entitled Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Revision to the Section 4(d) Rule for African Elephant and requested inclusion of the petition for revision of 50 CFR 17.40(e)(6)(E) jointly filed by Conservation Force, Dallas Safari Club and Houston Safari Club on September 28, 2022 to revise section (6)(E) of the same special 4(d) rule that limits trophy imports to two elephant per annum regardless of the period taken. 2023 Farm Bill Development Houston Safari Club aligned with several NGO’s, to submit an offer of assistance for development of the 2023 Farm Bill, to the House Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition & Forestry and Senate Agriculture Committee. The offer requested the prioritization of fish

HSC Part Of Request To U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) For Shooting Range Projects in New Mexico HSC expressed its willingness to work in partnership as part of a plan to develop and expand a framework of cooperation among groups at the national, regional, and local levels for planning and implementing mutually beneficial projects and activities related to hunting, fishing, and shooting sports conducted on federal lands. Specifically, comments were provided in regard to BLM’s Notice of Intent (NOI) To Amend the Taos Resource Management Plan and Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the Proposed Recreational Shooting Range Project on Public Lands in Santa Fe County. One concern was that the shooting ranges under consideration for lands managed by the Field Office will result in the premature closure of surrounding public lands currently open to dispersed recreational shooting. The preliminary planning criteria identified in the NOI for the plan amendment